Prep Rally

Canadian youth hockey coach arrested for tripping player in postgame handshake line

It's an incident that seems as un-Canadian as anything imaginable: A youth hockey coach in British Columbia has been arrested after being accused of tripping a 13-year-old opponent in a handshake line after the teen had helped defeat the alleged perpetrator's squad.

As reported in more detail by the Canadian Press, the unnamed coach in his 40s stands accused of intentionally tripping the 13-year-old star of his squad's opponent on Saturday. The incident followed a game played between 10-12-year-old squads from Vancouver and Richmond, another city in British Columbia. It is believed that the teen who was tripped was allowed to play in the 10-12 year-old league because he may have been 12 when the season began.

While it may be some time before the incident fully unravels, the impromptu outlash has clearly cast a pall over the University of British Columbia's Thunderbird Arena, which was hosting the game between the two teams.

"The coach was arrested. Charges will be forwarded at a later date, pending the results of the investigation." RCMP Sergeant Paulina Gidda told the Canadian Press. "It was an incident that was unfortunate, and it doesn't bring a great light to our community."